#5Books: book recommendations & #bookstagram

#Bookstagram is the most beautiful place in the world. Srsly, have you see the gorgeous photos on there?

However, the other thing is? It makes me feel woefully inadequate when it comes to my very, very simple not stylish and very uncreative photos.

They’re sad people, SAD.

I am still trying to figure out what I want to do, and what my #bookstagram should be. So I was wondering what are the tricks you use to spruce up your #bookstagram?

It’s such a great avenue to let your creative side out, but I do wonder if I am getting so sidetracked by the big and beautiful pics, I am missing the small tricks — backgrounds, lighting and even apps? What do you use?

This is the story of a Xhose woman, Beauty, who is hired to look after Robin, a 9 year old girl who has just lost her parents in the 1970s Soweto riots. In those same riots, Beauty’s daughter goes missing — and those are the circumstances that bring them together. As sad as those circumstances are, Beauty and Robin bond… and with that comes Robin’s fear that Beauty will leave her one day when she finds her daughter. So she does something… but what does she do? Whatever it is, years later, Robin tries to make amends. So yeah, reading this blurb makes me feel exhausted and sad, but I know too these are stories that need to be told.

Next. Well, it’s a cozy set in Nashville, and that alone piqued my curiousity. How can you go past that??

It’s a cozy set in Nashville — what else is there? Well, okay, it’s not about a country music star, but about a travel agent, who finds a body in the house of a country music star. Nods. Yeah, that’s all you need to know. Nods.

This a love story between a Japanese American student who happens to have a crush on her BFF, and a father who is having an affair. And after that, she and her family move to California where she isn’t the only Asian girl in a school, and she falls for Jamie, a Latina girl at school. Which is the love story part, but then there’s the part about how their friends don’t like each other; there’s a guy who is crushing on her and her dad is still having the affair. So she’s got her hands full to say the least. But diversity all over the place, yes please thank you!

Why am I of two minds about this? Possibly because SWF is a movie that still gives be nightmares? But, I mean okay, we have a writer Delphine (so French) who is a successful writer who can’t write anymore. Pressure perhaps? But then she meets L. (and yes, that’s the character’s name), who invades her life, and becomes part of it before D. realises it. Which is about when the SWF-ness of it kicks in.

Overwhelmed by the huge success of her latest novel, exhausted and suffering from a crippling inability to write, Delphine meets L. Interestingly, the author of this is Delphine De Vigan, and the blurb describes it as meta-fiction…. so what does that mean?!

And last, this title. It’s just so perfect and speaks to everything the book is about, doesn’t it?

Oh man, this book — very, very Australian: 12 months before it opens, Annie loses her grandmother in a bushfire, her mother’s home is gone and her daughter is traumatised having experienced this. She takes her kid and returns to the city, until her uncle asks her to return — for herself and her family. It’s a rather simple story, isn’t it? About grief and getting through it?

That’s it from me — please don’t forget to share your #bookstagram tricks, and let me know which book recommendations you’re in the mood for this week!

It never EVER hurts to add more to the TBR! THat’s what it’s there for! lol! My bookstagram is a work in progress, so I sometimes feel there are things out there I am missing. ache is going to break my hurt so much, I can feel it!

I only recently made an Instagram account for my company and I agree the pictures are so beautiful and I feel like nothing I make will come close to that, but I am mostly there to admire other people’s pictures and like and comment.

Bookstagram. I joined a while back but haven’t posted anything yet, I thought I would just do some book photos and hauls, maybe a few props occasionally, then I saw the awesome photos by some people and I was like… hmm. Do I have time for all that? lol not really. So yeah… I’m on there but haven’t done much. I’d like to though!!

Unlike when you asked about GR, I have no Bookstagram tips since I don’t even have an account anymore. I deactivated it months ago and haven’t felt any urge to reactivate it. My pictures were pathetic too lol.

I NEED It’s Not Like It’s a Secret in my life! The twitterverse has been abuzz about that book for months now, and I’m seriously pumped to read it. Normally I’m not a huge fan of contemporary YA but I mean really…who can resist that premise? 🙂